From Mumbai to Delhi: Master conman Chandrashekhar strikes again

Shekhar Chandrashekhar, who scammed AIADMK leader and Sasikala's nephew on promise of securing the 'two leaves' symbol, is the same conman who swindled Rs 19 crore from 500 Mumbaikars

Shekhar Chandrashekhar alias Sukesh. Pic/NDTV

It all comes back in a circle, especially for serial Ponzi schemer Shekhar Chandrashekhar, craftily renamed Sukesh Chandrasekhar, who it turns out is the same man arrested by the Delhi police crime branch on Sunday from a five-star as the alleged middleman for Dinakaran and suspected to have had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore with a EC official to help the AIADMK faction retain the 'two leaves' symbol in the RK Nagar by-election. This master conman had once tried to derail Bombay HC's proceeding by impersonating the PA of a Union cabinet minister.

After Chandrashekhar's interrogation, the Delhi crime branch also booked AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, Sasikala's nephew, on Monday for allegedly trying to bribe an EC official to retain the party symbol.

Chandrashekhar, named in at least 19 criminal cases in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi on charges ranging from cheating to forgery, claimed to have told Dinakaran, who he has known for over four years, that he was well-connected with power centres in Delhi, and had even boasted that he could get Sasikala out of the Bengaluru prison, where she is currently serving her sentence in the disproportionate assets case, police sources said.

Chandrashekhar allegedly also claimed to own several farmhouses. Following his arrest, the police has already "recovered Rs 1.30 crore along with two cars — a BMW and a Mercedes," according to a senior police officer. He is now being interrogated about his profile and his connection with any EC official, the officer added. Following the succession dispute, the EC had frozen AIADMK's 'two leaves' symbol.

Ponzi schemes in MumbaiIn 2015, he was arrested by the Mumbai Police EOW along with his partner, Madras Cafe actress Leena Maria Paul, for allegedly cheating investors of Rs 19 crore by running a Ponzi scheme.